Missions day out

The annual day-out of the Jesuit Mission Office on 30 June had a motley group of missionaries, friends, volunteers and Mission Office staff descend on some of the best known historical sites in the capital. The day began with Mass in St Audoen’s Church, celebrated by the Provincial, Fr John Dardis, who expressed his deep appreciation for the missionary endeavour of the Irish Province over many years. Afterwards the group went on a tour of Dublinia, a museum dedicated to the Viking founders of Dublin and their medieval descendants. After lunch, the participants betook themselves to Christ Church Cathedral – a microcosm of Ireland’s religious and political history as well as a beautiful example of Christian architecture.  and housing some really fantastic Christian treasures. Pictured here are Frs John Dooley and Dick Cremins at lunch in the canteen of Dublin City Council.

Short Notices

• The sub-title of Fr Todd Morrissey’s latest book on Fr Tom Ryan (the launch was noticed in our last issue) was From Cork to China and Windsor Castle, Last week Fr Pat Riordan, visiting St George’s Chapel in Windsor, sent us this picture of the memorial plaque with its spare and elegant inscription.
• The McVerry Trust’s 2-Peak Wicklow Challenge, a fundraising event, will be held on 24 July. It will involve hiking to the summit of Tonlagee and Mullaghcleevaun in the Wicklow Mountains. Participants pay a registration fee of €25 and complete a registration form. On receipt of these they receive a T-shirt and sponsor card to help raise the minimum sponsorship of €100. For details call 01-8230776 or see our website – www.pmvtrust.ie.
• Theologian and author Gerry O’Hanlon S.J., of the Jesuit Centre for Faith and Justice, has been appointed as a member of the newly constituted Council for Justice and Peace of the Irish Episcopal Conference. The first meeting of the Council takes place on Saturday July 31, 2010.
• With the help of Government funding and other donations, the Australian Jesuits are planning a tuition-free primary school in Redfern, Sydney, for the neediest aboriginal children. In the context of the families’ culture it will aim to care for the children’s total development, including meals and health checks and a strong extra-curricular programme. It builds on a long Jesuit tradition of working with aboriginal people.

Forthcoming events

• 24 July: 2-Peak Wicklow Challenge: McVerry Trust fundraiser – see Short Notices above
• 24-30 July: Hopkins International Festival opens in Newbridge College, 4 p.m. on 24 July. See programme on website. Sunday 24 July 3 pm: wreath-laying at Hopkins’ grave in Glasnevin
• 31 July: University Church, Stephen’s Green, 2.30 pm: Thanksgiving Mass for Centenary of Leeson Street Community; followed by reception in Newman House
• 31 July: Gardiner Street Church: 11 a.m. Archbishop Diarmuid Martin celebrates the Mass of St Ignatius

St Ignatius day celebrations

Jesuits around the world will mark the feast day of  their founder St Ignatius of Loyola,on Sat 31 July.  In Dublin, Archbishop Diarmuid Martin will celebrate a special  Mass in St Francis Xavier Church,  Gardiner St, at 11 am on the feast day itself. Representatives from all the local Jesuit aposotlates will play and active part in the liturgy. On the eve of the feast, Friday 30 July, Jesuits across the water in England have invited former students of Jesuit schools and universities from around the world to an international reunion , beginning with Mass at 6pm followed by a celebration in Mount Street Gardens, adjacent to the Church immediately after. Fr Bruce Bradley SJ, former Headmaster of Belvedere College and now Rector at Clongowes, will be  concelebrating the Mass at Farm St Church in London’s  Mayfair. Enquiries and confirmations to july31st@farmstreetchurch.info.

Not-so-’final curtain!’

Historian Todd Morrissey SJ launched the third volume of Fr Kevin Laheen’s History of Tullabeg, The Final Curtain, in Milltown Park on Wednesday 30 June, now available in the Sacred Heart Messenger Office: €20. He commended the author for his attention to detail, but he emphasised also the entertaining and informative nature of the stories recounted in this, the last book of Fr Laheen’s trilogy on the historic Jesuit landmark. Kevin Laheen himself was in top form, looking much younger than his 92 years and regaling his audience with stories of his encounters around every parish in Ireland in his days as a mission priest. He is pictured here, seated at the table at which Robert Emmet wrote his famous ‘speech from the dock’ – another final curtain.

Belvedere is fast

Belvedere College SJ continued their dominance of the All-Ireland schools athletics championships this year. They were once again the overall winners of the Science cup, which is the trophy presented to the champion boys’ school in the All-Ireland schools Athletics championships. This trophy is no stranger to the college trophy cabinet. Belvedere has now won the trophy for the last 12 years, a record unequalled by any other school in Ireland. Our picture shows Michael Hunt, President of the Irish Schools Athletics Association, presenting the Belvedere College captain with the Science Cup for a record 12th time.

Irish Jesuit in top publishing post

Irish Jesuit Paul Campbell has been made Publisher of Loyola Press, the Jesuit publishing company in Chicago whose titles include the 100,000-copy bestseller My Life with the Saints by James Martin SJ and Heroic Leadership by Chris Lowney. On the digital front, over 120 titles are currently available as eBooks, and three iPad apps allow consumers to experience their faith through mobile devices. According to the Belfast-born Jesuit, “The title will allow me greater access to key decision-makers among our customers and it underlines the commitment of the Society of Jesus to this important ministry”. Teresa Locke has been appointed President of the press, responsible for moving Loyola Press forward into the digital publishing arena. Terry and Paul are no strangers to the Irish Province, working collaboratively on Ignatian Spirituality projects with the JCC, Sacred Space and Brian Grogan SJ.

JESUITICA: The unstoppable Pere Marquette

A century ago the states of Michican, Ohio, Indiana and Ontario, in USA and Canada, saw many locomotives and rail ferries named after a Jesuit. The Pere Marquette Railway operated in the Great Lakes region, from its incorporation in 1900 until its merger with other railroads in 1947. The company was named after Father Jacques Marquette S.J. (1637–1675), a French Jesuit missionary who founded Michigan’s first European settlement, Sault Ste. Marie, and left his mark and his name all over the mid-West of USA, having travelled vast distances by foot or in a canoe – all the way down the Mississippi.

Leeson Street century

It is a hundred years since the Jesuit community in what is now Newman House moved round the corner to 35 Lower Leeson Street; they would later acquire Numbers 36 and 37. The centenary is an occasion for refurbishing parts of the houses: the walls of the snackery have been insulated and painted, and the windows draft-proofed; the hallway painted and plastered, and a whole area from the chapel down to the dining room renovated to its shining best. Number 37 needs to be rewired, but the house is caught between the fulminations of Health and Safety people, who call it a fire hazard, and the procrastinations of conservation officialdom, which moves at an 18th-century pace. Read more. Read more »